The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE countdown is on for the Bahamas’ hosting of the 43rd Central American and Caribbean Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships.

Officials and athletes from around the region are expected to start arriving in town today for the championship slated to be held Thursday to Saturday at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island.

Already confirmed to be here to compete are the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, French St Marrten, St Lucia, Antigua, Barbados, Bonaire, St Vincent and the Grenadines, the US Virgin Islands, Aruba, El Salvador, St Martin, St Marrten Dutch, Columbia, Haiti and Bermuda.

Project manager Nardo Dean said they are still waiting on confirmation on a number of teams who just completed their national championships over the weekend. He noted that the federation had moved up the date and changed the venue, which had a slight effect on some of the countries. But he said they are still looking for full participation from the region.

This will mark the eighth time that the Bahamas Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation will play host to the championships, the last being in 2008 when the Bahamas clinched the title. The Bahamas, however, is coming off a second place finish last year to Barbados in St Maarten.

Dean, who also serves as the federation’s public relations officer, said the championships is not just about bodybuilding.

“The show has expanded, they now have the physique, the bikini and the fitness categories. So it has expanded to just all muscles on stage,” Dean said. “It is now displaying different aspects of the physical forms in terms of their athletic abilities and so there is something there for everyone.”

The Bahamas will be represented by a full contingent competing in every category.

Here’s a look at the Bahamas’ 42-member team:

Men’s Physique

Kenny Mackey, Tarran Knowles, Omar McKenzie, Ryan Lewis, Vernon Rodgers, Lance Poitier, Sebastian Rolle and Endierich Rahming

Men’s Bodybuilding

Charles Reckley and Rafeal Sbrissa (bantamweight); Paul Wilson and Lynden Fowler (lightweight); Jimmy Norius (welterweight and masters); Chris McQueen and Andrew Sweeting (light middleweight); Desmond Bain (light heavyweight and masters); David Morley (light heavyweight); Jamiel Hamilton (middle heavyweight); Sydney ‘Butts’ Outten (middle heavyweight and masters); Bernard Davis and Maurice Hall (super heavyweight)

Men’s Fitness

Mucumbla Smith and Rashad Cunningham

Women’s Physique

Lorraine LaFleur and Tanya Moxey

Women’s Fitness

Kim Nesbitt and Dawn Charlton

Women’s Body Fitness

Dekel Nesbitt, Charnice Bain, Lyndsay Jarnagin, LaKeisha Miller, Claudia Seymour, Tammy Stubbs and Michelle Miller.

Women’s Bikini - Amy Sands, Crystal Strachan, Shakira Ferguson, Tazma Thompson, Alexavia Dorsett, Carina Ferguson, Neomi Fatal and Kadesha Culmer.

The team is being coached by Raymond Tucker, a perennial CAC individual and mixed doubles medallist.

“We have been mentoring them, but they are at home and they have the home court advantage,” Dean said. “We have the opportunity to put in a A and B team and we are confident that we are going to bring home one or two pro cards and the gold for the Bahamas.”

The overall winners in each segment of the championships will be awarded their pro card. The Bahamas is hoping to add to its list of six that includes Charles Kemp, Joel Stubbs, Natasha Brown, Gena Mackey, James ‘Jay’ Darling and Dominique Wilkinson, who became the latest member of the club in 2013 in the Dominican Republic where the Bahamas finished fourth.

Stubbs, by the way, currently serves as the new president of the BBFF and he has been working very hard with the rest of his executive team that includes vice president Kenny Greene, general secretary Lillian Moncur, secretary Ingrid Bain and treasurer Oreantheia Mackey.

Wellington ‘Cat’ Sears will act as the technical manager and Charles Johnson is the media manager.

Dean said they are encouraging the public, especially the high schools, to come out and participate in the event.

“They will be exposed to a level of competition that they probably would not get to see on their own,” he said. “So this opens the door to them and they will have a special rate.”

The event is scheduled to begin at 2 pm Thursday with the weigh-in. The pre-judging is set for 2pm Friday and the actual competition is set to start at 2pm on Saturday.